Dispenser device



Aflg. 26, 1969 H, GEIGER 3,463,371

DISPENSER DEVICE Filed June 13. 1966 HANS Fl GEIG'ER, INVENTOR.

BY M

ATTORNEY United States Patent 7" 3,463,371 DISPENSER DEVICE Hans F. Geiger, 5845 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46220 Filed June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 556,996

Int. Cl. B26f 3/02 U.S. Cl. 225- 44 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser. device for the storing and dispensing of rolled sheeting, as from a roll-type core or tube upon which the sheeting is wrapped.

This invention relates to a dispenser device; and more particularly, the invention relates to a dispenser device which stores and dispenses rolled sheeting such as plastic paper, aluminum foil, plastic bags, waxed paper, paper toweling, and other material, from a roll-type tube as of fibre-board or plastic.

Concepts of the invention provide a dispenser device having a very convenient and handy nature, and which is economical in construction.

Details and features of the device, and of its construction and utility, will further appear in the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, wherein a hand-held dispenser device embodying the inventive concepts and features is described in conjunction with the accompanying somewhat schematic and diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top or plan view of a dispenser according to an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a similar exterior view, but showing the bottom of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the left cap member of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in enlarged scale, the view being as the cap member is viewed from the interior of the device;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the left cap member, the view being taken generally as indicated by the section-line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view, in further enlarged scale, of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the view being taken generally as indicated by section-line 5-5 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the device being shown as being held in the hand of the user in a usual dispensing position, and with portions of the cap member shown broken away.

As shown in the drawings, the invention is dispenser 8 shown comprising a generally cylindrical shell or body member 10, with a cap member 12 at each end thereof, the device 8 being adapted to dispense rolled sheeting such as waxed paper 14 from a tube 16. I

The shell is desirably formed of extruded or formed sheet stock, having longitudinally extending stiffening ribs 18, four being shown, equally spaced around the shell 10.

As illustrated best in FIG. 5, the shell 10 is not continuous circumferentially, but has approximately onefourth of its circumferential extent formed as an inwardlycurved tongue providing a longitudinally-extending pickup guide or finger 20. The cross-sectional shape of the finger 20, when the device is empty of a roll of sheeting 1416, is illustrated by the chain line showing a of finger 20 in FIG. 5. This provides that slight resilient deformation must be imparted to the finger 20 to lift it onto the outside of the rolled sheeting 14, this assuring that the pointed leading edge 22 of finger 20 will seat along the sheeting 14 in use, particularly advantageous when just beginning to unroll sheeting 14 before an end-portion thereof has been lifted. The guide-finger 20 thereafter 3,463,371 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 keeps peeling off successive portions of the sheeting 14 as its portions are thereafter dispensed.

The other longitudinal edge of the shell 10, that is, the shell-edge 24 adjacent the finger 20, is pointed, and thus serves as a tear-off edge in use of the device as hereinafter described.

In the quadrant of shell 10 opposite the finger 20, a large opening 26 (FIG. 2) is provided, thus permitting the user (indicated by the sketch of a hand 28, FIG. 5) to insert his thumb 30 through the opening 26 to frictionally hold the sheeting roll 14 from turning during a sheettearing operation, or to turn the sheeting roll 14 so as to dispense enough of a length of sheeting 14 to be grasped by the user for pulling out the length of sheeting 14 desired, or retract sheeting 14 if too much has been withdrawn.

If desired, the shell body 10 may be formed from translucent or transparent stock, permitting the user to visually see the type of sheeting 14 stored in the dispenser.

The caps 12 may be, and desirably are, mirror-image identical members, except for locating indicia and rotation-direction indicia yet to be described.

Each cap 12 is shown as comprising a transverse wall 32 having a short cylindrical wall 34 upstanding peripherally therearound, and the free end of the wall 34 is shown as formed radially inwardly providing a lip 36. The wall 34 is adapted to be resiliently deformed a slight amount, permitting the wall 34 to be pushed over the end of shell body 10, the lip 36 then snapping in a small recess 3-8 (FIG. 2) provided adjacent the end of three of the shell-ribs 18, the resilient deformation aiding in maintaining the cap 12 in place.

The cap wall 34 is provided with a deep recess 40 extending substantially a full quadrant, thus providing more effective longitudinally open length of the shell body 10 for the accommodation of wide sheeting 14.

Assuring that each cap 12 will be properly oriented to register its recess 40 with the guide-finger 2.0 sector of shell 10, each cap 12 is shown provided with a locating indicia 42 (FIG. 1) such as the letters A and B, each accompanied by a locating line or arrow, which, when the caps are properly oriented, register in alignment with associated locating indicia 44 such as the cooresponding letters A and B, each accompanied by a locating line or arrow, provided adjacent each end of the shell 10.

Further assuring proper orientation of caps 12, the lip 36 of each cap 12 is shown provided with a recess 46 (FIG. 3) adapted to fit over the shell-rib 18, the caprecess 46 being located such that when it does fit over the rib 18, the above-mentioned indicia will be exactly registering.

The caps 12 are each provided with an outwardly-extending knob 48, for ease of manipulation of the cap.

Each cap 12 is also provided with an inwardlyvextending protrusion 50 for supporting an end of the sheet rolltube 16 in an axially-supported position in the shell 10; and the protrusion 50 is shown as sloping radially inwardly in a direction longitudinally inwardly of the shell 10, providing ease of assembly of the cap-protrusions 50' and sheet roll-tube 16.

Each of the caps 12 is also desirably provided with rotation-direction indicia (not shown) which indicate that the roll of sheeting 14 is to be inserted so as to feed i the proper direction, and to indicate also that withdrawing rotation of the sheeting 14 is to be in the proper direction, that is, clockwise as seen in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 illustrates the handy utility of the device. AS there shown, the roll-tube 16 is mouned upon the capprotrusion 50, and as the tube 16 is rotated (clockwise), the lip 22 of integrally-provided guide-finger 20 guides the sheeting 14 outwardly of the shell-body 10, where the sheet 14 may be torn off along the shell-edge 24 as the users thumb 30 (extending inwardly of the device through the opening 26) holds the sheeting tube 16 by pressing against the sheeting 14 wrapped thereon. The users thumb 30 may be used to roll or unroll sheeting 14 as desired.

Assembly of the parts and changing of rolls 16 is easy and convenient. The user would desirably first mount one cap 12 onto the shell 10. Then he would insert the roll 16, with sheeting 14 thereon of course, into the shell 10 by insertion through the non-capped end of the shell 10, taking care that the roll 14 is oriented to dispense as indicated above, and slipping the forward end of roll 16 over the cap-protrusion 50 at the far end of the device. If an end-portion of the sheeting 14 is unrolled, that portion is threaded over the guide-finger 20. The user would then afiix the other cap 12 onto the shell 1%), the cap-protrusion 50 supportingly engaging the interior of the adjacent end of roll-tube 16.

Proper orientation of the caps 12 relative to the shellbody 10, as indicated above, provides that the cap-recesses 40 are in the quadrant of guide-finger 20, providing an effective longitudinal length of the discharge opening extending into the region of the caps 12.

The cap-recesses 40 also Weaken the cap-wall 34, rendering more easy the resilient deformation thereof to accommodate its passage over the ends of the shell body.

It is thus seen that a dispenser device according to concepts of the present invention provides novel and advantageous concepts and features providing for economy of construction, yet handiness and convenience of use, ease of roll-loading and roll-changing, and ease of dispensing of the sheeting as desired, the cross-sectional shape of the shell body 10 being generally of the configuration of an open-style numeral 6, providing a guide-finger 20 integrally with the shell 10, the guide-finger 20 being disposed generally tangentially to the sheeting roll.

Accordingly, it will be seen from the foregoing description of the invention, according to the embodiment to illustrate the inventive concepts, considered with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new and useful dispensing device having desired advantages and characteristics, and accomplishing the intended objects, including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

Modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the invention; accordingly, the invention is not limited to the specific form or arrangement of components or features herein described or shown as illustrative of the inventive concepts, in the particular embodiment disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser device, comprising an elongated shell member adapted to receive therein a roll of sheeting to be dispensed, the periphery of the shell member being discontinuous and providing an open space through which sheeting may be dispensed;

in a combination in which a portion of said shell member is provided with a triple-effect opening through which the said sheeting roll may be manually engaged by the user;

said opening being circumferentially significantly long as to permit, in both rotational directions of unwinding and rewinding of sheeting of the said roll, a significantly long rotational stroke by the users thumb or finger as to significantly unwind or rewind the sheeting as desired in an amount per stroke significantly longer than merely that sufficient to extend a leading edge of the sheeting past the associated tear-off means provided by the device, the said opening extending unobstructed to the unwound sheeting roll itself in contrast to just a leading sheeting portion thereof;

in a combination in which the shell member is provided with an edge-portion which provides a guidestrip for sheeting being dispensed, and in which the unstressed disposition of said guide-strip-providing edge-portion disposes its leading edge at a lesser radial spacing than the exterior of said rolled sheeting, whereby it must be resiliently deformed to raise it onto said rolled sheeting exterior, the resilient deformation thus urging it against said sheeting, and means to rotatably locate said rolled sheeting within said shell member on a certain axis whereby to ob tain said effects.

2. A dispenser device, comprising an elongated shell member adapted to receive therein a roll of sheeting to be dispensed, the periphery of the shell member being discontinuous and providing first and second edge-portions and providing an open space between said edgeportions, one of which edge-portions providing a guidestrip inwardly of the other edge-portion and guiding sheeting outwardly of the shell member through said open space, and the other edge-portion being adapted to provide a tear-edge along which sheeting may be torn;

in a combination in which stiffening rib means are provided on said shell member, and cap means is provided for said shell member, the cap means being provided with locator means adapted to cooperate with the said rib means to locate said cap means rotationally of said shell member, the cap means being formed to provide a sheeting-dispensing portion which, when the cap means is so located rotationally of said shell member, is operatively aligned with the said open-space portion of said shell memher.

3. A dispenser device, comprising an elongated shell member adapted to receive therein a roll of sheeting to be dispensed, the periphery of the shell member being discontinuous and providing an open space through which sheeting may be dispensed;

in a combination in which end-closing cap means is provided for the said shell member, having a transverse wall, and there being means securing the cap means to the said shell member, the transverse wall carrying a central protrusion adapted to fit into the end of the core of the said sheeting roll;

in which stiffening rib means are provided on said shell member, the said rib means and said securing means cooperating to retain the cap means assembled onto the shell member;

4. The invention as set forth in claim 3, in a combination in which said upstanding cap means wall is formed to provide an inturned lip, said lip being the cap means portion which retainingly engages said shell stiiIening rib means.

5. A dispenser device, comprising an elongated shell member adapted to receive therein a roll of sheeting to be dispensed, the periphery of the shell member being discontinuous and providing first and second edge-portions and providing an open space between said edge-portions, one of which edge-portions providing a guide-strip inwardly of the other edge-portion and guiding sheeting outwardly of the shell member through said open space, and the other edge-portion being adapted to provide a tear-edge along which sheeting may be torn;

in a combination in which end-closing cap means is provided for said shell member and extends inward- 1y of the end thereof, a portion of the cap means being relieved to permit the dispensing of sheeting along said relieved cap means portion thus effectively extending the longitudinal extent of sheeting dispensing, and means for operatively aligning the said relieved cap means portion with the open space of said shell member through which sheeting is dispensed from said shell member.

6. A dispenser device, comprising an elongated shell member adapted to receive therein a roll of sheeting to be dispensed, the periphery of the shell member being discontinuous and providing an open space through which sheeting may be dispensed;

in a combination in which the shell member is provided with an edge-portion which provides a guidestrip for sheeting being dispensed, and in which the unstressed disposition of said guide-strip-providing edge-portion disposes its leading edge at a lesser radial spacing than the exterior of said rolled sheeting, whereby it must be resiliently deformed to raise it onto said rolled sheeting exterior, the resilient deformation thus urging it against said sheeting, and means to rotatably locate said rolled sheeting within said shell member on a certain axis whereby to obtain said effects.

.7. The invention as set forth in claim 6, in a combination in which there is provided manually-operable means for rotating the sheeting roll in a rotational direction to achieve rewinding of sheeting back onto the roll upon the circumstance of an undesired amount of sheeting having been unwound, but the resilient deformation of the said guide-strip-providing edge-portion providing an operative pressure against said sheeting roll which attains the dual effect of both providing a pickup means for the leading edge of the sheeting if the sheeting rewinding has been so much as to cause said sheeting edge to move past said shell member edge-portion, and frictionally engaging said sheeting roll to retard its rotational movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1951 Belgium.

JAMES M. MEISTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

